Things one middle-aged economist finds interesting

"The CVS Health bid to buy Aetna will "reshape" health care, or so headlines would have us believe. Actually, it's a sign that the health care landscape is already being reshaped — by consumers, instead of central planners."

(Related: I'm reading a book on education reform. The author talks about the PISA test that is used to compare high schoolers' performance across countries and he states: "Last time out, the U.S. average score was 500, just behind Poland and ahead of Liechtenstein. However . . . If America's scores were limited to those from schools in districts in which the poverty rate was less than 10 percent--Finland's poverty rate is less than 4 percent--the United States would lead the world, and it wouldn't be close . . .")

Someone may be putting something in the Los Angeles water supply. In the past months, two unlikely L.A.-based presidential contenders — Mayor Eric Garcetti and Disney Chief Robert Iger — have been floated in the media, including in the New York Times.

The horrible, disgusting, deeply no-good action by President Trump on the Utah monuments--all our land should belong to the federal government!--has gotten some of the usual suspects all upset. I don't know if this story checks out, but it certainly sounds right.

Sell 80% of federal land, across the board, and use the money to pay down the deficit.

A fine piece by Richard Ebeling. He makes the vital points but simply enough that a high schooler could appreciate them. Give the piece to a young person you know who's being taught some bad antitrust economics.